The Florida native played high school football for Bradenton Manatee and coached four seasons at USF before moving to Oregon.

Willie Taggart as head coach of the Oregon Ducks during a game against Arizona State on September 23, 2017. After ending WKU's 26-game losing streak and going 2-10 in his first season, he made strides while going 7-5 in both 2011 and 2012.